The Next Duel
by Treble252
Summary: Years after Yugi, a new great duelist has arrisen from seeming nowhere. Will she follow in Yugi's footsteps to the top?


The lunch bell rang at Shady Grove Middle School. Students made their way outside, some wanting to take advantage of the beautiful weather, others wanting to see a duel. This duel was one between a bully called Crimson and a little girl named Jennifer. While Crimson's family was able to buy him any cards for his deck, Jennifer's family could barely afford food. But, she did have deck, built mostly of cards she either found or won in some way. When Jennifer arrived, she noted that Crimson had been there for a while as his usual group of idiots has already finished defacing the duelist booths. The four boys at the end of the field glared at Jennifer as sets up her area. "Ready to lose, poor girl?" Crimson taunted. "Lose?" Jennifer asked, innocence in her voice, "You sound certain that I shall." "I am." Crimson smirked as the two drew out their hands. The crowd gathered as the holo-generators hummed to life, the set field shimmering into existence. "As the challenger, I get the first move!" Crimson declared, obviously not caring what anyone else believed. He smiled as he selected his cards, "I play a card facedown on the field. I also play the Battle Ox in attack mode!" Crimson slapped the cards onto the field as a holographic version of the Battle Ox appeared in a glorious show of light. The beast snarled as his attack point rose due to the set fields. While many people in the crowd looked simply amazed, Jennifer looked less than impressed. "I play the Dark Magician Girl in attack mode," Jennifer declared She set a card down on the field as a humanoid shape takes form on the field. The look on Crimson's face goes from arrogance to fear. "Dark Magician Girl, attack that ox! Dark Magic Attack!" The blonde sorceress raised her purple staff and blew the ox apart. Crimson cringed as his life points dropped from 2000 to 1850. "How did you get such a strong card?" Crimson asked. "That's my business, not yours," the young duelist replied, "Before I end my turn, I lay one card on the field." "Fine by me. It won't protect you from my next creature, the Swamp Battleguard!" A hairy, green skinned humanoid with a club appeared, roaring. The beast's attack points rose upward, gaining strength from the field. "Battleguard, attack now!" The beast charged, swinging its club. Just before it hit its mark, the magician disappeared. "WHAT???" Crimson exclaimed, "Where did it go?" Jennifer smiles sweetly as she holds up a card. "I laid a card down last turn, remember?" she asked, her voice dripping with innocence, "And that card was the Monster Replace card. It allows me to exchange my Dark Magician Girl for the strongest card in my hand." She looks at her hand, takes a card out of it, and lays it on the field. "And that card is.the Summoned Skull!" The spot the girl was standing on forms a hole, smoke rising out of it. Suddenly, lightning shoots out of it as a creature rises out of it; its body covered in a skeleton, with red-purple flesh underneath the bone armor. It had dark wings, held close to its back. The monster growled at the Battleguard as its club swung into its stomach. Both the Battleguard and Crimson looked frightened as the Summoned Skull reacted to the attack. "Go, Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike Attack!" The beast raised his arms up and, above it, a lightning storm began to form. Thunder rumbled above the entire battlefield as a huge bolt of lightning stuck down from the clouds, striking and vaporizing the hairy beast. Crimson cursed as his life points dropped again, from 1850 to 1300. "Now, Crimson," Jennifer said, "It's my turn." She drew a card, and then looked at her cards, thinking out her next move. After a few seconds, she looked at her enraged opponent. "First, I lay these two cards on the field. Then, I play this beast face down in defense mode." Jennifer laid three cards down on the field, three rectangles turned yellow and hummed slightly. "Good, my turn!" Crimson drew his card, looked at it, then his face sprung from desperation to extreme happiness. "I play the mighty Serpent Night Dragon!" The boy slapped the card down so hard, the whole booth shook. A dark cloud formed over the one half of the field. Suddenly, a black blur shot out of the cloud, missing the Summoned Skull by a mere inch. When it stopped, a black, snake-like beast hovered there above the field, its crimson eyes glaring at the monsters below. "Serpent Night Dragon," Crimson ordered, "Attack the facedown card, Sonic Seeker!" The dragon opened its mouth and started making a high-pitched noise. Suddenly, small black blurs appeared around it and started shooting at the yellow spot on the field. "I don't think so, Crimson," Jennifer said. She flipped over a card. The blurs hit an invisible wall and started flying back at the dragon. "I activate Mirror Force! It repels your attack right back at Serpent Night Dragon." The dragon screamed as its own attack ripped through him, causing him to explode into pieces. Crimson growled as Jennifer drew her card. "I play La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in attack mode!" A green genie appeared, floating above the field, its arms crossed. "There's nothing for me to attack, so it's your move, Crimson." Crimson drew a card and looked at it like it was made of gold. "For my move," Crimson said, "I play Gaia the Fierce Knight!" From a tower of shining golden light, a horse and rider appeared; the mount reared back, its rider holding a giant lance. Both were protected with red and blue samurai-style armor. "Gaia, charge into battle!" Crimson orders, "Swift Strike Attack!" The rider kicked the horse in the belly, causing it to charge forward at the genie. The knight's lance went completely through La Jinn, causing him to explode. Jennifer simply watched her life points drop from 2000 to 1500. "Also, I activate my trap from a few turns back, the Just Desserts card!" A ghost-like hand appeared over the field and grabbed Jennifer's neck. She choked before the hand disappeared and her life point dropped to 500. "This battle is almost over, poor girl," Crimson taunts, "I suggest you get ready to be beat up for real." Jennifer closed her eyes as she drew her card. She opened her eyes then looked at Crimson. "You've dueled well, Crimson," the girl said, nicely, "It's a shame I must end this so soon." "What do you mean?" Crimson asked, his face and voice both showing the slightest bit of worry. "I've drawn the card I need. First, I switch my facedown card into attack mode, also forcing me to flip it face up." The yellow spot next to Summoned Skull shot upward. In a light show to rival the Forth of July shows, a black winged beast flew out of the light. Its eyes glowed bright red as it spread its wings out. "My creature is the Red-Eyes Black Dragon! I also play Polymerization, fusing my beasts into one, forming the Black Skull Dragon!" Summoned Skull and Red Eyes begin to blur together, mixing, twisting, until suddenly, in a shower of sparks, a new monster appeared. Black, metal looking armor covered its entire body, its eyes glowing bright red. The only real characteristics Red Eyes gave it were its long neck and large, black wings. It hovered above the field, glaring across the field. "Black Skull Dragon, Inferno Blast Attack!" The beast opened its mouth and fired a mighty fireball at the knight. He raised his arms in desperation, trying to block the blast, but he was no match for it. Crimson cursed and screamed as his knight vaporized, the last of his life points with it. The entire crowd was silent as the holo- generators shut down and Jennifer walked away, acting as it nothing had happened. 


End file.
